| Three Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria freed Posted: 07 May 2016 03:46 PM PDT  Three Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria some 10 months ago were freed on Saturday and are due to fly home from Turkey, the Spanish Press Federation and the government said. "All three have been released, Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre, and are on their way (to Spain)," said Elsa Gonzalez, president of the Spanish Press Federation (FAPE).
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| 13 Iranian Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria: media Posted: 07 May 2016 12:49 PM PDT  Thirteen military advisers with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have been killed in Syria in recent days and 21 others wounded, Iranian media reported on Saturday. It was Iran's biggest loss of forces within such a short time, based on official figures. All were from Iran's northern province of Mazandaran, Hossein Ali Rezayi, a Guards spokesman in the region, told the ISNA and Fars news agencies.
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| Saudi Arabia names Khalid al-Falih energy minister to replace Naimi Posted: 07 May 2016 11:11 AM PDT  By Rania El Gamal and Reem Shamseddine DUBAI/KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter, on Saturday appointed Khalid al-Falih, chairman of the state oil giant Saudi Aramco, as its new energy minister, replacing Ali al-Naimi, who had held the post since 1995. The change is unlikely to mean a shift in Saudi oil policy, which is being crafted to a large degree by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who oversees the kingdom's energy and economic policies, and involves building consensus among top royals based on the advice of senior technocrats. Since 2014, Saudi Arabia has led OPEC through a new survival-of-the-fittest strategy aimed at defending market share rather than reducing production to support oil prices.
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| U.S., allies conduct 17 strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military Posted: 07 May 2016 08:54 AM PDT  The United States and its allies targeted Islamic State militants in Iraq with 11 strikes on Friday and six in Syria, the U.S. military said on Saturday. Three of the strikes in Iraq were near Mosul, hitting an Islamic State tactical unit and communications facility. In Syria, three strikes were near Mar'a and hit an Islamic State command and control center, the military said.
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| Transgender voices in North Carolina: Devastated by new law Posted: 07 May 2016 08:41 AM PDT  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A student who's losing time in the classroom. A mother trying to show strength to her 8-year-old daughter. A reluctant protester led away in handcuffs.
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| Turkey's Erdogan pours cold water on hopes of progress on EU deal Posted: 07 May 2016 08:20 AM PDT  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday poured more cold water on hopes for progress with Europe on a deal to curb migration, suggesting Ankara would not change its anti-terrorism laws just to meet European Union requirements. The EU has asked member states to grant visa-free travel to Turks in return for Ankara stopping migrants from reaching Europe, but said Turkey still had to change some legislation, including bringing its terrorism laws in line with EU standards. The migrant deal between Brussels and Ankara was negotiated by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who this week announced his decision to step down as premier, capping weeks of public tension with Erdogan.
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| Morocco jails brother of presumed Paris attacks ringleader Posted: 07 May 2016 12:29 AM PDT  A Moroccan court has sentenced the younger brother of suspected Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud to two years in prison on charges including justifying terrorism, state media reported. According to his lawyer, Yassine Abaaoud was unaware of the activities of his brother, who was killed in a French police raid just days after the November 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris. Moroccan intelligence helped put French investigators on the trail of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 28-year-old Belgian of Moroccan origin who had appeared in grisly Islamic State group videos and was linked to a series of plots in Europe.
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| Court says Australia cannot force asylum seeker to have abortion in PNG Posted: 07 May 2016 12:05 AM PDT By Peter Gosnell SYDNEY (Reuters) - A pregnant woman who says she was raped at an Australia detention center for asylum seekers on the tiny South Pacific island of Nauru cannot be forced to have an abortion in Papua New Guinea because it is unsafe and illegal, a court has ruled. Under Australia's hardline immigration policy, asylum seekers intercepted at sea trying to reach Australia are sent for processing to camps on Nauru and on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and are told they will never be settled in Australia. |
